The Twelve Hotel
The Twelve
“A joyous experence” was how a friend described his stay at The Twelve. Mind you, he wasn’t finished with that, as he went on to say: “Everything you write is correct - even understated possibly.”
Wow! Is he right? Probably. Critical sobriety means that we have to always keep a little distance, and be as even-handed as we can be. But everyone else in The Twelve isn’t holding back, and the energy in this smart modern hotel is powerful: people love it to bits. What did our friend love? All of it: the bakery; the bar; their pizzeria, Pizza Dozzina; and Upstairs, their smart and serious restaurant. Manager Fergus O’Halloran marshals one of the best teams in the West, and evereything in The twelve chimes perfectly. Joyous is right.
Upstairs at West
Martin O’Donnell became head chef of Barna’s funky Twelve Hotel, and its West Restaurant, a decade ago, and over the last 10 years he’s done little other than get better and better. It helps that he has all the required batterie of skills, is a knowledgeable forager, and is fond of hard work – here is a chef who makes his own black pudding. O’Donnell is also a local guy with a real love of the west coast and its ingredients, and his determination and knowledge makes for beautiful eating – Killary Harbour mussels with sea lettuce marinara; poitin-cured sea trout; rabbit with barley risotto; Castlemine farm hogget with baba ganoush; puff pastry with carrageen mousse and tempura of dillisk. The tasting menus, with wines chosen by manager Fergus O’Halloran, are amongst the very best in the country.
